(ACE) The AMBRETTE Team

It was still fucking raining.

The white horned canine sat at the window to the hotel, his tail curled neatly around his paws as he watched the skies outside with a thinned glare. Both ears were perked high as he listened to the sound of water pounding on their shelter, briefly twisting back to listen to his charge let out an excited giggle as she ran up and down the long-abandoned halls. Slowly, the old police dog's gaze followed where he was listening, watching the puppy race back and forth with a long, exhausted sigh. There wasn't much he could do in this case... it'd been raining since they arrived here, and sitting waiting for it to calm obviously wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Zuri trotted back over to where he'd set up a bed from old forgotten coats and blankets, curling around with a heafty breath out as he settled back down to rest. Eirlys was still running back and forth to run herself out, leaving Zuri to settle and watch from where he decided to wait. After a few more passes of the excitable puppy running back and forth, she skidded to a halt in front of her guardian, pawing at his nose and horns.

The direyena jolted his head up with a snort, before his red eyes looekd down at her, eyes lidding a hair. "Yes, Eir'? Is there something I may assist you with?" He sighed out, getting a soft giggle from the houndrunt as she attempted to rear up and swat at the older canine's nose again, though she found herself too short to actually reach, especially when he tipped his head higher to stay out of her reach. She sat down heavily with her hind legs resting lazily on the ground as she instead tapped her paws against the tops of Zuri's.

"I'm bored, big brother. Can't you play with me a little? There's nothing to do here... can we go outside?" She asked, whining softly at the end of her question and cocking her head up at him. Zuri huffed softly and stood again with a low grump of protest, trotting himself over to a ball they'd dragged out of one of the rooms upstairs. He swatted at it to roll the ball down the hallway, getting an excited giggle as Eirlys ran after it to bat it back over to the direyena.

"We can't go outside just yet, Eir'. It's pouring rain out there, you'll get sick. We're stuck in here for now, okay? Don't worry... as soon as there's a little break in this rain, we can go outside, okay?" He said softly, stepping to the side to catch the ball as it rolled past him again, kicking back over to Eirlys so they could continue their game. Still, his head tipped over to the window again, watching the rain as it trickled down the glass. When the storm eased a little, he said... but this storm certainly didn't look like it was going to ease up any time soon.

Yuck. Yuck yuck yuck!

The storm was one thing— a nice downpour of refreshing rain with flickers of lightning and rolling thunder - a free blessing by Nature herself! But this mud… oh no this mud was bad.

Yahto trudged through the harsh winds and rain to the best of his ability, every step causing more and more mud to squelch between his toes and cling on to what was previously an immaculately groomed pelt much to his dismay.

His direction was toward a large building he could only barely see until the lightning lit up the sky and reminded him where he was going.
You’re almost there Yahto. Keep going a little longer.

He nodded. “I hope it’s warm in there.”

Yahto finally found himself outside the enormous building, slightly intimidated by the structure now that he stood before it. What if there was a nest in there? What a bad scenario!
He sucked in a breath and nudged opened the door to slip in silently, then closed it behind him. He wasn’t born in a barn.

Is it warm? She asked.
“Warmer.”

He padded through the place, ears perked on high alert for any signs of trouble. So far so good.
Yahto rounded a corner and gasped in surprise. Something he hadn’t seen in years. Something completely unexpected.

A ball.

It rolled his way almost ominously. Where did this come from? A ghost? A demon? A demon ghost?
He stared at the purple ball for a moment and then rose his eyes to two figures across the room. His heart thumped initially but his brain processed a few things in order: they hadn’t attacked yet. They were so clean and their pelts were ivory and free of purple. One appeared to be a child. As the final thing occurred to the Leafeon, he once more took note of the ball at his paws and the child he assumed had been playing with it.

A warm smile spread over his face and he swiped his paw at the ball playfully, sending it back to the child in a gesture of goodwill.

“Greetings!” Yahto offered to the adult. “I am Yahto and I pose neither of you any harm. I’m just trying to get out of this storm. May I take up shelter here?”

This fucking rain was starting to get old, fast. It made everything cold, and the useless gits that ambled around this town like puppets without strings kept slipping and fucking around in the mud, and then had the audacity to track it the fuck back into their shelter. Peregrine snorted from where she was curled up on the countertop of the pokemon center, her tail draped over the edge of the counter and laying down along the floor. Bright gold eyes galred out from under her mask, ears twisted high as she listened to the sound of everyone shifting back and forth around her.

A crash sounded closeby and her head snapped up, wings shifting to allow the noivern to sit upright, fixating her glare on a box of fallen potions that'd been dropped by a machoke attempting to move it. The noivern slowly slunk her body off the countertop with all the grace she could muster, slowly trailing around the fighting type until her tail could hook underneath their leg and yank their legs out from under them. The fighting type hit the ground hard, giving time for Peregrine to pounce, her wings pinning their shoulders to the ground and a threatening hiss rattling up from low in her throat.

"We ain't runnin' a charity 'ere, ye twat. S'me care wi' ye fuckin' hands next time, 'r else ye fingers will be fed ta th' fuckin' fish 'n the aquarium. 'M I clear?" He snarled, getting a fast nod from the fighting type under her grip. She snorted, coiling back off the pokemon and returning to her former place. "Good. Now clean tha' mess up ye good fer nothin' hunk'a muscle."

She watched the machoke slowly clamber back up to their feet, before turning her attention back to the rest of the group she'd gathered. It hadn't been too long since she'd gathered this following; she'd taken swift control after the previous leader had foolishly attacked the noivern when she stopped here in the town for a rest. After swiftly removing that waste of space, Peregine found some use in being able to control who had access to the valuable items within this town and gave most people one of two chances; either they died here, or they took chances with the undead that patrolled the waters below the cliffs. Any pokemon that left here was never heard from again, though once or twice Peregrine had seen body parts wash ashore for smaller undead to fight over like vermin.

She settled back in to where she was sitting, watching the door to the pokecenter. She had a few scouts out wandering the town, looking for any living they could dispatch for food amongst their group. It'd been several days since a scout had last spotted a pair of white-furred canines, though after the first interaction, Peregine hadn't heard anything else. They hadn't left the town yet, which meant they were hunkered down somewhere due to all the weather. Perhaps... if they stayed around long enough, Peregine could have some fun with them.

Zuri kept his eyes and ears alert as he slowly bat the ball back and forth every time Eirlys tossed it back at him. Distantly, he heard the creak of a door opening, and Zuri froze in place, batting the ball with a little more force than he first intended. It rolled past Eirlys, earing a bark of surprise from the puppy. She turned to go follow after it, struggling at first to gain traction. Before she could get too far however, a sharp, gruff bark from Zuri froze the puppy in place, and her legs stuck out stiffly to halt in place. He heard something-- and that bark meant to stop whatever she was doing immediately.

The larger police dog carefully trotted over to her, his nose lowering to press against her cheek lightly to praise her for listening. His eyes then turned up, ears perked forwards as he listened. “Warmer.” A voice; a good sign at least... but even the living were unpredictable at times. So just hearing a sane voice was of no comfort. Zuri carefully placed himself over Eirlys in a protective stance, each large paw placed either side of where she was standing, his head lowered and hackles raising slightly.

That was when he saw them; it was hard to miss the white (although muddied) fur and that purple-blue fading tail and ears. A leafeon... but odd colors. Zuri didn't move from his stance, only letting out a low growl at first, lips pulling back slightly. a leafeon would be easy to take care of, if they were dangerous at least.

His eyes followed as the other pokemon approached, having not noticed them yet, but they did notice the ball Zuri had kicked over at first, taken by the sight of it. Then their eyes rose upwards to properly see the two canines, and Zuri was able to at least tell that their eyes were not red and glowing like the infected and undead were. So... a living pokemon. His growling died down a little and his lip uncurled, though his hackles still stayed raised and he didn't move from where he was. Living pokemon were a little less of a threat at least, and if they could be reasoned with; even better.

The ball was kicked back over and Eirlys let out a gleeful bark, her body trembling as she fought not to race after it. Zuri carefully rose from his protective stance, which allowed Eirlys to spring forth with reckless abandon, pouncing on the ball and kicking it back over to the leafeon in an attempt to get him to play and kick it back.

“Greetings!” Zuri watched Eirlys closely, though his ear twitched at the voice, confirming it was the first one he heard moments before after the door had opened. Good, they seemed safe at least. “I am Yahto and I pose neither of you any harm. I’m just trying to get out of this storm. May I take up shelter here?” It was a reasonable request; one that Zuri didn't see a point in denying. Besides, it might be good for Eirlys to have someone else who would play with her as well. After some time to mull it over, Zuri slowly lowered to a sit, breathing out a low huff.

"Hello to you as well. You can stay here, yes. I am Zuri, and this is my charge, Eirlys." He said, looking down at Eirlys who paused so that she could stand tall and proud, her tail wagging a mile a minute. "Hi! It's been so long since we've seen anyone else, I was beginning to think Zuri scared them all away with his grumpy face! You're very pretty; I've never seen someone who looks like you! Is it paint?" She excitedly breathed out, darting over to Yahto to circle around him, her ears flopping a little as she ran around the leafeon with childlike wonder.

Zuri watched the two for a moment, before he paused again, hearing the sounds of more vibrations; something larger was coming. Once again, that gruff, alert bark sounded and Eirlys froze, looking over at the larger canine. "Oh! That's Zuri's there could be bad guys bark," she leaned over and loudly whispered to Yahto, watching her brother as he slowly moved himself between the two pokemon and where those thudding footsteps were comign from. "When he barks like that, you're s'pposed to freeze, like you've been stuck in place with super strong glue until he says its okay. Zuri's super strong and super smart, so he knows when its safe." Eirlys continued, nodding sagely like she had just bestowed Yahto with the wisdom of a monk.

Zuri huffed out a slightly amused breath at his charge's words, though his eyes were forward, where a large dragon of sorts made his way into view, seemingly just as taken back by their presence here as they were to see him. Zuri planted his feet a little firmer, tail raising as a show of confidence, his head held high and meeting the dragon's gaze unwaveringly. "I didn't think there was any one else here. Though it seems this storm isn't letting up anytime soon so may as well stay inside for the night. Where are my manners though, I'm Dirk a knight if you will of the dragon order. Unfortunately very little has heard of it. And you three are?" His hackles rose a little further, and Zuri let out a low growl, eyes narrowing a little as he looked at the dragon type. He didn't like the way they spoke, and he especially didn't appreciate them just inviting themselves in without asking about it first.

"Bold of you to assume we want the extra company in here," he started, voice firm as he watched Dirk, "state your intentions and maybe I'll tolerate you being here. Myself and my charge were here first, and I don't appreciate people inviting themselves in to share our shelter in that manner. You call yourself a knight but that's hardly chivalrous of you, Dirk." He answered gruffly, keeping himself between Dirk and the other two for now until he'd further sussed out whether or not he liked this new arrival. So far; they were not winning any points from him. "I will introduce myself once I determine if you are a threat to my charge or not. Until then, I will not divulge further information."

Yahto’s tail swished side to side in a friendly manner as the gruff canine eyed him over and seemed to consider his words— hey, that was better than he’d gotten from a lot of other Pokémon! People could be surprisingly unkind in a world where almost everything was out to kill you.
"Hello to you as well. You can stay here, yes. I am Zuri, and this is my charge, Eirlys."
Zuri, Eirlys… What cool names!! Yahto bowed his head gratefully to the canines and then sat down on his haunches, mirroring Zuri. “Thank you!”

The puppy, Eirlys, caught his attention with her prideful stance and wagging tail. How adorable! Yahto had always loved children and this youngster was no exception.
"Hi! It's been so long since we've seen anyone else, I was beginning to think Zuri scared them all away with his grumpy face! You're very pretty; I've never seen someone who looks like you! Is it paint?" The pup bounded to Yahto and ran circles around him in curiosity, much to his amusement. He took in a breath, chuckling warmly at the child’s antics.
“Well, thank you! Nope, not paint— The rain is so heavy any paint would’ve washed away by now sadly!” He answered, laughing.

Suddenly a loud warning bark froze him in his tracks and he immediately assumed he’d done something wrong; “Er… my apologies—“
"Oh! That's Zuri's there could be bad guys bark," Eirlys explained. "When he barks like that, you're s'pposed to freeze, like you've been stuck in place with super strong glue until he says its okay. Zuri's super strong and super smart, so he knows when its safe." The pup nodded a wise, all-knowing nod and Yahto stifled a chuckle to play along; “Oh! Thank goodness you’re here— I thought he was mad at me!” Yahto made an exaggerated motion to his chest as though his heart were beating out of control.

He could see the amusement on the larger canine’s face as he moved past them and in between them and a newcomer. Zuri struck a confident, no-nonsense posture as the creature approached. Yahto moved to the side slightly to watch the dragon— his eyes were kind but focused. He would back Zuri up if need be even if he hoped he wouldn’t come to that.

"I didn't think there was any one else here. Though it seems this storm isn't letting up anytime soon so may as well stay inside for the night. Where are my manners though, I'm Dirk a knight if you will of the dragon order. Unfortunately very little has heard of it. And you three are?"

Yahto hummed. While he had his own opinions on the new guy, he didn’t strike him as an immediate threat. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself as Zuri questioned Dirk, unwilling to overstep boundaries by inserting himself into the situation.
"Bold of you to assume we want the extra company in here," Zuri warned. "state your intentions and maybe I'll tolerate you being here. Myself and my charge were here first, and I don't appreciate people inviting themselves in to share our shelter in that manner. You call yourself a knight but that's hardly chivalrous of you, Dirk."

Yahto flinched at the canine’s tone but didn’t exactly disagree with him. You had to be extra careful when kids were involved. Yahto’s eyes moved to the puppy and he smiled reassuringly.
What a darling child.

Zuri continued, "I will introduce myself once I determine if you are a threat to my charge or not. Until then, I will not divulge further information."

What is the dragon order I wonder.

Dirk didn't expect one of the pokemon to not be too happy with him waltzing in. Then again Dirk didn't know that this was their home. "Bold of you to assume we want the extra company in here," The druddigon had no intentions to anger the Direyena. "state your intentions and maybe I'll tolerate you being here. Myself and my charge were here first, and I don't appreciate people inviting themselves in to share our shelter in that manner. You call yourself a knight but that's hardly chivalrous of you, Dirk." He was right, Dirk was hardly chivalrous but then again, he never knew. "I will introduce myself once I determine if you are a threat to my charge or not. Until then, I will not divulge further information." That did not go well for him at all. There was only one thing to do, apologize and find a different area of shelter. He was so out of touch with reality that he never realized that he made more mistakes than normal.

There was only one thing the Druddigon can do. "I apologize for intruding and I promise I'm not a threat to you or your charge. If you would like me to find a different place of shelter, I would not argue. I didn't even know this was where you lived." He said before he bowed, then he turned around and was starting to leave. Heaven knows what a horrible night this has been so far. Though what awaits outside could also be hiding within the rain, hungry for the living. Back to the entryway, Dirk looked outside making sure nothing was roaming around in search of warm live pokemon. So far, nothing was in the immediate area. Here goes nothing. Hopefully one of the buildings is still intact and not hoarded with undead. Even then, cleaning it out is required. Before he could reach for the door handle a loud crash of thunder sounded and with his helm being metallic, he'd be a conductor for lightning to strike.

The hustle and bustle of the pokemon moving about the pokecenter was a dull drone to Peregrine by this point. It was boring, nothing new had happened aside from that one machoke fat-fingering the supplies. Her rear leg moved to scratch a red talon under her chin and then underneath the edge of her mask. The noivern's head twitched and tilted into the feeling as one eye closed, scratching at one of the new-er scars that she had underneath it. Lowly, a rumbled rolled up from the bat's throat, startling a few of the nearby pokemon into looking up at her. Both eyes slowly opened again as her foot stopped to look back at the pokemon, tail thudding against the edge of the counter she was sprawled across.

"Yer eyes not workin' 'r somethin', ye hackit fearties? Quit ye gawkin'." She snarled, snorting as they quickly looked away from her, shuffling off to a different part of the pokecenter. The noivern watched the pokemon for a moment, before her eyes slid to the door of the pokecenter. She watched the rain beat against the glass with a low sigh, ears twitching as she listened to the gossip of the rest around her. Nothing interesting, per say; but it was something to listen to. Mundane topics, what the weather was like, how cold it was, a few people were bickering and there was someone snoring in the back. Peregrine slipped herself from the countertop, slinking her way to the door so she could peer outside. Rain immediately dripped down her mask and ran down the wickedly curved metal beak that sat over her nose, golden eyes looking out into the storm.

It was so slow and boring just waiting around for anyone to swing past, so Peregrine was taking things into her own claws. She snaked the rest of her body outside, pausing briefly to look back at the pokemon within the pokecenter. "'M goin' oot fer a while, ye better no' ruin m'fuckin' house while I'm gone. Anythin' outta place once 'm back an' I'll have all yer mawkit hides." She hissed out, before turning to climb herself up on top of the pokecenter roof with a grace that belied her large stature. The noivern crept along the roof of the building with her body low against the ground. Scent would be useless right now, it was pouring rain and any scent of other pokemon would be washed away as soon as it was made. That meant that Peregrine would have to rely on her other senses. She sighed and tipped her head tot he sky briefly, eyes thinning behind her mask. Damned rain... she couldn't stay out long, this rain would chill her and make flying difficult later.

That could be an asset, though. If I'm grounded, weeding my way into a group may be easier... The Noivern mused to herself, shaking her body out and taking to the skies with a powerful wingbeat. For now, she could scout from the air and see about getting information on anything new... the more she knew about anyone else who might be in her town, the better.

Eirlys decided very quickly that she liked Yahto, her tail wagging a mile a minute as her wide, red eyes explored all over Yahto's form, taking in the pretty colors and how white his coat was when it wasn't covered in mud. It was like hers and Zuri's! Though, Zuri said that was because they were something called an 'albino', whatever that meant. “Well, thank you! Nope, not paint— The rain is so heavy any paint would’ve washed away by now sadly!” Her eyes were wide and she nodded, taking in all the information. So it wasn't paint-? That was so cool! She'd never met anyone with those kind of colors unless it was paint!

“Oh! Thank goodness you’re here— I thought he was mad at me!” Eirlys giggled softly as Yahto placed a paw on his chest, though her eyes were watching Zuri, her ears perked high and her paws placed stiffly on the ground. She knew that when Zuri was talking to a stranger she wasn't supposed to move; she'd made that mistake once and had some rude living pokemon try to attack her. Zuri had to fight them off after that and got hurt. Ever since, Eirlys made sure to listen to her brother so he didn't get hurt again for her sake.

Zuri watched the druddigon with an unwavering stare, his claws digging at the carpet below his feet. The direyena's eyes went over the dragon type's body and his face, letting out an unimpressed snort. He didn't like how this newcomer held themselves, and their brash manner of entering somewhere was something the large canine considered a threat already. If this dragon's rash actions led danger to them, that meant that Eirlys would be in danger, and that was not a risk he was about to take. The horned canine stayed silent as he waited for a response to his demands, keeping himself firmly between Dirk and the other two that were sitting behind him.

"I apologize for intruding and I promise I'm not a threat to you or your charge. If you would like me to find a different place of shelter, I would not argue. I didn't even know this was where you lived." Zuri's disbelief was evident in his responding growl. He shifted to sidestep around as Dirk walked past, making sure to always keep himself facing the dragon as they wandered past. If they were already leaving without giving the direyena to say anything; Zuri wouldn't stop them. In his mind, an unpredicable threat like Dirk was not someone he wanted around his charge.

Thunder crashed overhead, and Eirlys whimpered in fear, her legs starting to tremble as she held her ground. She didn't like thunder - it was loud and hurt her ears. Zuri looked back at her and chuffed softly under his breath, giving permission for Eirlys to move. She skittered forwards to hide underneath the direyena, placing herself just behind his front legs. At least here she felt safer, and she was still somewhere Zuri could keep her safe from. Zuri watched Dirk as the druddigon hesitated at the door, giving out another low growl that turned into a lower, annoyed bark.

"If you're leaving, surely some thunder won't stop you," he commented dryly, "you never even gave me the chance to respond, so clearly you already have your mind made up. If you're leaving, then leave. I don't need such an impulsive loose cannon around a child." He said, lifting his head high and keeping his tail raised in a confident upwards curl.

As if the situation needed to be more tense, the sky itself added to the uncomfortable atmosphere in the Hotel by adding a rumbling soundtrack to their standoff with Dirk. Yahto remained silent and left all the negotiations to Zuri who, from what he could tell, didn’t have judgement clouded by a need to see the good in people.
I like that about you though, she remarked.
Yahto hummed in acknowledgment but left the comment untouched— now wasn’t the time to be conversing with her. She could talk at such inopportune times.

"I apologize for intruding and I promise I'm not a threat to you or your charge. If you would like me to find a different place of shelter, I would not argue. I didn't even know this was where you lived."
Yahto sighed a little. Relieved, he allowed his body to loosen a bit as the cues implied this wouldn’t be getting violent, or at least he hoped.

Yahto could feel the next round of thunder in his toes as the very floorboards yielded to the mighty rumbling. His ears perked when a tiny whimper cut through the roaring sky and he immediately turned his attention to Eirlys.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Yahto said warmly, “I’m sure it’ll be over soon.”
He watched the tiny child scramble from her spot over to Zuri where she placed herself underneath his protective form. Yahto smiled at the display, genuinely warmed at such a wonderful bond even in these hellish years.

He returned his eyes to the dragon, halted within the doorway outwards. Was it the storm? Changing his mind about leaving? Yahto’s heart thumped as the conclusion that maybe this would get ugly.

"If you're leaving, surely some thunder won't stop you," Zuri tossed out, "you never even gave me the chance to respond, so clearly you already have your mind made up. If you're leaving, then leave. I don't need such an impulsive loose cannon around a child."

“May I recommend the removal of your, erm… headpiece?” Yep, blank on the word helmet Yahto, great job. “It’s just… you know, with the lightning and all…”

The Druddigon felt out of touch with himself still and these mistakes he's made reflected that."If you're leaving, surely some thunder won't stop you," Zuri said in a dry way. "you never even gave me the chance to respond, so clearly you already have your mind made up. If you're leaving, then leave. I don't need such an impulsive loose cannon around a child." Dirk didn't want to make a bad impression on the child so maybe he should stay and talk with Zuri and show he's not a threat. He did need to take a step outside to get some fresh air and clear his mind. “May I recommend the removal of your, erm… headpiece?” His what? Oh, his helm. Wearing it was a sign of honor but taking it off would mean he's retiring from it. Maybe it was for the best that he gave the knight shtick a rest. “It’s just… you know, with the lightning and all…” Giving a smile to Yahto, Dirk reached for his helm and took it off. For the first time, he took off his helm for something more necessary and for safety. There was one thing he had to ask Zuri and seek forgiveness for his earlier actions.

Setting the helm on the floor, Dirk turned and opened his maw to speak to Zuri. "I'm sorry for my sudden haste to leave. I'm not thinking clearly and just need to get some things off my mind. May I ask for your forgiveness and if I can stay if you would permit it?" Hopefully it wasn't the case where it's to the point where he's perceived as a threat. This time, he was going to wait for a response before stepping outside. One thing he did feel is that maybe if he was to gain trust, he'd have to work hard for it. To him, that wasn't much of an issue to working hard. 

((Skipping Peregrine for this cycle, she's just flying above the town keeping an eye out.))

Eirlys whined softly as she kept her eyes out on the weather outside, red eyes turning from the window to Dirk, and then back at Yahto. Another bolt of thunder crashed outside, making the floor of the hotel rumble under her paws. He tail tucked up underneath her body, and the puppy leaned a little more heavily against Zuri's leg, wanting to feel supported by her big brother. “Don’t worry, dear,” Yahto's soft voice brought her attention to him, her eyes wide, “I’m sure it’ll be over soon.” She swallowed hard and gave the leafeon a brave nod.

She had to be like her brother! He wasn't scared of thunder, right? If Zuri wasn't scared of it, then it wasn't scary at all. At least, that's what she told herself. Zuri's not afraid of anything, though. He's big and strong, and nothing can hurt us as long as he's here! She thought to herself, though her ears pinned down as another crash of thunder sounded. "... it's still scary," she whined softly at Yahto, "I don't know how big brother can be so fearless about it."

Eirlys looked back up at Zuri, letting out a soft sigh as she watched him stand unwaveringly overtop of her, his long claws digging at the ground to keep him in place. The direyena's eyes never left Dirk as the druddigon wandered about, letting out an unimpressed snort as he wavered by the door. Some knight. Seems more spineless to me. He thought, tail curling higher as he lifted his head, eyes lidding a little further. He's dawdling, meandering about after he'd already decided to leave. Just go, so I don't have to worry about keeping you alive as well.

“May I recommend the removal of your, erm… headpiece?” Zuri's eyes snapped back over to Yahto as the leafeon spoke, giving the grass type a raised brow followed by a snort. He was concerned for this stranger? Shame... then Zuri might have to adjust his viewpoint slightly. If someone was concerned for this stranger... Zuri couldn't risk seeming like too much of a despondant asshole. “It’s just… you know, with the lightning and all…” He huffed, rolling his eyes and looking back over at Dirk, though his next comment was a dry mutter under his breath that only the two closest to him would hear, "Might be better off that way anyway. Less weight to drag around."

Sucks, though. Should've let him get struck but the lightning. He thought, though his eyes went down to Eirlys at his feet as the puppy swatted at his leg, grumbling softly under her breath at him. "Be nice, big brother. He's just cold and looking for shelter." She chastized, and Zuri's ears twitched, making a face of distain at her and at the sitation. He didn't want to let this stranger stay here. However, if both Eirlys and Yahto were concerned for them, his paws might be tied in this situation. "Cazzo," He growled under his breath, looking up as Dirk looked back over at him, now without that gaudy helmet that he'd come in with. His eye twitched, already tired with the situation.

"I'm sorry for my sudden haste to leave. I'm not thinking clearly and just need to get some things off my mind. May I ask for your forgiveness and if I can stay if you would permit it?" He chuffed out a low huff as Dirk pleaded forgiveness from the ex police dog, and he gave the dragon a once-over slowly, red eyes narrowing to a glare. He still didn't want them in here, even after all that... weird bullshit of him at the door. His lip curled a little, showing off sharp fangs briefly as he regarded the druddigon.

"If you aren't thinking clearly, that makes you more of a danger. Impulsiveness and disregard for the safety of others and your surroundings is a death sentence these days, and I will not permit your foolish actions to get my charge killed. Perhaps some time in the rain will clear that foolish head of yours." He barked out sternly, carefully stepping forwards to clear more of the distance between himself and Dirk, leaving Eirlys to shuffle back over to Yahto, where she was away from the druddigon and out from underfoot. "Until you can prove to me that you will not prove a danger to my charge or anyone I hold under my protection, I will not allow you sanctuary. You do not want the blood of a child on your hands, nor do you want to cross my ire."

Yahto returned Dirk’s smile with one of his own, not so subtly staring at the Druddigon with curious orbs as he removed the helmet and placed it on the floor beside him. This confused the Leafeon— was he leaving it here? Surely such an item was valuable if nothing else than sentimentally, right? But Dirk was leaving!
Yahto cocked his head to the side, calculating a number of different reasons why the creature would choose this course of action. A sort of claim to territory? Maybe he just decided lugging it around was too much of a hassle? Or perhaps he just wasn’t thinking clearly.

"Be nice, big brother. He's just cold and looking for shelter." Eirlys warned. Yahto was taken aback by the pup’s tone and the stark contrast between her and Zuri. They were like yin and yang, opposites but so complimentary. What a duo.

Dirk lingered in the Hotel, pausing his motions to speak. "I'm sorry for my sudden haste to leave. I'm not thinking clearly and just need to get some things off my mind. May I ask for your forgiveness and if I can stay if you would permit it?"

"If you aren't thinking clearly, that makes you more of a danger. Impulsiveness and disregard for the safety of others and your surroundings is a death sentence these days, and I will not permit your foolish actions to get my charge killed. Perhaps some time in the rain will clear that foolish head of yours." Zuri bit back, taking a confident stride towards the object of his attention. "Until you can prove to me that you will not prove a danger to my charge or anyone I hold under my protection, I will not allow you sanctuary. You do not want the blood of a child on your hands, nor do you want to cross my ire."

Yahto’s eyes flickered between Zuri, Dirk and Eirlys now at his side.
His mind filled with the soft voice that had always kept him company. Aren’t you going to say something?
He evaluated the situation again, then once more for good measure and shook his head.
That’s uncharacteristic of you.

Yahto bit his lip and shrugged. He could see both sides of the argument and maybe that’s why he couldn’t speak up. Dirk just wanted shelter, sure. But darling Eirlys would pay the price if this thing went sour. So he simply could not choose a side and remained thankful the hard choice was left to Zuri.

Dirk's luck was not great this time as he seen the look on Zuri's face. It was a definite no. "If you aren't thinking clearly, that makes you more of a danger. Impulsiveness and disregard for the safety of others and your surroundings is a death sentence these days, and I will not permit your foolish actions to get my charge killed. Perhaps some time in the rain will clear that foolish head of yours." Maybe the reason was his own fault for doing what he did. Regardless he was determined to win the trust. "Until you can prove to me that you will not prove a danger to my charge or anyone I hold under my protection, I will not allow you sanctuary. You do not want the blood of a child on your hands, nor do you want to cross my ire." He would feel awful if the young pokemon was harmed or worse. For now, he didn't want to bring any more tensions between him and Zuri. Dirk looked over at the pup and seeing that this kid was very important to the other.

Dirk grabs his helm but leaves it off. Before walking outside into the rain, he says something to Zuri that he understood. "I understand and I would feel very awful if something happened to the young one. I will not protest your decision but I shall prove to you I'm no threat to you or the young one. You have my word. Good night then and sorry for the unintended trouble." Dirk walks out into the rain and clenching his helm, he looked at it. its shine was faded, long from its normal look. Walking towards the edge of the cliff, he looked to the distance. He missed being home, he missed his trainer. Still he had to make amends with Zuri before he continues his search. Walking away from the cliffside and towards the stairs, the Druddigon could at least try to find shelter elsewhere. Walking up the stairs, he could see the rain drops tapping against the concrete but he didn't notice anything else. "Do I really call myself a knight? No, don't think negatively Dirk, it was just bad timing and bad judgment to assume stuff." Dirk said to himself.

Ah, being in this cold rain was not doing her any favors. Peregrine shook herself out again for what had to be the thousandth time. She huffed out a snort of air that billowed in front of ehr nose from the chill, diving down from the skies to land on the rooftop of the aquarium. Her red claws clicked against the rooftop ad she looked out over the streets, eyes narrowed behind her mask. Rain dripped down her face and along the iron plating, causing her to shake her head to clear her sights again. Ugh... there was nothing here. Her crew had already cleared the undead from the town aside from the rabid fucks in the aquarium she was standing on.

Having a tank full of captive undead that would eat anything had its perks, after all. Anyone who didn't listen to Peregrine or her crew became food for the ever-hungry beasts within the waters of the aquarium.

But where are those two my scout saw the other day? They haven't left yet... but we haven't seen them in days. Did they get killed? She growled out a curse under her breath, crawling down from the rooftop so that she could slink her way across the ground. Those two white bastards her scout had seen days ago had not shown up since their first sighting, so whoever it wa sknew what they were doing; and that was dangerous for Peregrine. She didn't like not knowing what others were doing, it meant that she could have some competion here, and that could spell death for her. The noiver's ears twitched at the sound of a voice, something that was startlingly familiar to her.

"Who th' hell... wha' howlin' gowk is it..." She muttered under her breath, slipping in behind a rockface to see who had drawn her attention, golden eyes thinned behind her mask.

"Do I really call myself a knight? No, don't think negatively Dirk, it was just bad timing and bad judgment to assume stuff." Dirk. That fucking dumbass that was with Noiz. I'm surprised he's still alive. But... this could be to my advantage. Is he alone? She thought, assessing the area. He'd come from the hotel, it looked like. Was that where those others she'd seen were hiding? It didn't look it... but perhaps whoever this was knew to keep hidden. She'd have to check it out later.

For now, she had bigger fish to fry. Peregrine kept herself low and out of sight as she watched Dirk, wanting to see what the druddigon was doing out in this weather. Surely he'd need shelter soon... she'd follow him for a while, and assess her options.

Zuri watched as Dirk retreated back to the door after he'd made his stance clear, stepping in front of the duddigon's view when he saw his eyes slide over to where Eirlys was sitting beside Yahto. He kept himself between his charge and the dragon type, his tail held high and confidently as he watched Dirk pick up his helmet once he was back at the door. Good, he was taking it with him, then? One less thing Zuri had to worry about, that way. He snorted softly, watching as the dragon paused at the door, only speaking his last few words toZuri before he left, "I understand and I would feel very awful if something happened to the young one. I will not protest your decision but I shall prove to you I'm no threat to you or the young one. You have my word. Good night then and sorry for the unintended trouble."

The direyena watched him go, keep himself between the door and the other two until he was sure it'd closed properly and Dirk was gone. Finally, he relaxed and his tail dropped back down to a comfortable, low sweeping sway behind him, letting out a low sigh. He turned back to Yahto and Eirlys after a moment, trotting back over slowly to lower his nose down to gently nudge Eirlys's side. She giggled softly under her breath and swatted back at the larger pokemon, touching her nose to his own. "Will he be okay out there, big brother?" She asked him, getting a soft sigh from the direyena. He gently raised his paw to pat her head.

"If he learns some wits while he's out there, he'll be fine. Don't think to much on it, Eir," Zuri started, turning to go back over to the ball they'd been playing with so he could nose it over to the houndrunt, so cheerfully bounded after it. "I'm not risking your safety over someone who doesn't think things through. If he dies out there, it'll be one less headache." He said dryly, which got a pause out of Eirlys, who turned back at him with a huff.

"But that's mean, big brother... you'll let him back if he comes back, right?" She asked, looking up at Zuri and planting her rump down on the ground, back legs splayed out either side of her as he head cocked to the side, ears flopping a little as she did so. Zurri huffed at her and growled softly under his breath. "Sometimes to survive, you have to be mean, Eirlys. If he wisens up and learns to not be so impulsive, I'll let him back."

With his stance known, he then gently bapped at Eirlys's nose, something she whined about, but didn't argue further. She knew what that meant, it meant he was getting grumpy and she needed to hush. Still, she pouted a little, tail flopping against the floor as she thought. At least Yahto's still here! He's very nice and super pretty too! The thought of the pretty leafeon had ehr scrambling up to her paws to bounce over to Yahto again, rolling the ball on over as she went about it. Zuri himself took a seat to watch them, keeping his eye on how Eirlys was playing.

"Yahto, Yahto! Can you tell me some stories? I've heard a lot of Zuri's old stories, he says he used to work as something called a "police". Did you work as one too?" She asked, rearing up to place her paws atop the ball she rolled over so that she was a little higher to look up at Yahto with her wide eyes, tail wagging happily.

"I understand and I would feel very awful if something happened to the young one. I will not protest your decision but I shall prove to you I'm no threat to you or the young one. You have my word. Good night then and sorry for the unintended trouble."

Yahto stared at the retreating Dirk quizzically, mulling over his final statement with a cocktail of confusion and concern. “Okay then,” he sighed. “That was indeed a time.”

"Will he be okay out there, big brother?" The youngster inquired of Zuri, who responded with a gentle pat to her head. Yahto smiled at the display.
"If he learns some wits while he's out there, he'll be fine. Don't think to much on it, Eir," Zuri replied. "I'm not risking your safety over someone who doesn't think things through. If he dies out there, it'll be one less headache."
"But that's mean, big brother... you'll let him back if he comes back, right?"

Yahto’s ears perked with interest.

"Sometimes to survive, you have to be mean, Eirlys. If he wisens up and learns to not be so impulsive, I'll let him back." Zuri confirmed albeit with an obvious indignation.
He took a light swipe at her snoot and after her own disdain wore away, she suddenly bolted to her feet and hustled Yahto’s way along with the ball they’d played with earlier.
"Yahto, Yahto! Can you tell me some stories? I've heard a lot of Zuri's old stories, he says he used to work as something called a "police". Did you work as one too?" Eirlys planted her paws on the ball and stared anticipatingly at Yahto who admittedly was not nearly as exciting as a police officer.
“Well no,” he admitted. A sort of light bulb went on in his mind and if he had fingers he would’ve snapped them. “But there was this one time someone stole an elderly woman’s purse in the city. My human and I chased after the mugger and I used an attack to knock him over. Bailey sat on his back until police like Zuri arrived at the scene. Between you and me, I think he could’ve knocked Bailey off his back but he was afraid of little old me!” He laughed, placing a paw to his chest in mock offense. “To think someone could assume I would be so brutish to use Magical Leaf on his face!… which was my next idea, to be fair.”

Peregrine watched Dirk from where she was hidden, her golden eyes narrowed behind the mask. He was walking up the stairs, and the noivern turned quickly on herself to keep out of sight, ducking behind where the druddigon was walking to. Out here in the open, he was such an easy target. It wouldn't even take much, Peregrine knew. Those scales were rough and a danger to her skin, but if she just got underneath and ripped into the soft blue flesh he would be gone, gasping for air and bleeding all over the ground in the throes of death--

Hold yourself, girl... now is not the time for action. She reprimanded herself, swallowing the saliva that'd built in her mouth at the thought of sinking her fangs into that stupid fucking druddigon's neck. She snapped her jaws shut hard and instead glared at Dirk as the dragon stopped in the middle of the path, that godawful helmet being placed beside him. She snorted softly, crawling forwards slowly as she kept herself low to the ground.

Her eyes immeidately locked onto the fact that Dirk had closed his own, and she gripped hard to the ground as she fought not to take advantage of the foolish mistake on the druddigon's part. No, she had to make sure it was the right time, she couldn't go killing him now, there was no point. She had to make sure people knew the fool had been killed, and who had done it. Nothing was better than the look of betrayal on the faces of people who had assumed Peregrine was there to help when in fact she was only looking out for herself. So what if goals sometimes aligned, all they would be useful for is a stepping stone in her path to the top.

And if they were an obstacle, she would remove them without restraint.

She watched as Dirk started to punch at the skies, eyes narrowing. The fuck was he doing... maybe he had completely lost it since she last saw him. Peregrine huffed lowly and slowly crept forwards, slowly sliding her long body against the mud to further dirty her form and make it look like she'd been hurriedly been racing across the ground; being chased, maybe that was a good cover story... she needed to get on the gullible fools good side, if she could get him as a pawn, that would work well for her.

Pausing, Peregrine turned herself around for a moment, before grabbing at her rear leg in her jaws, clamping down hard until her own blood flooded her mouth and pain lanced across her body in waves. Letting go, she hissed softly and lifted her left off the ground so she could hobble over to Dirk. Immediately putting on the act of the poor chased victim, Peregrine let out a sharp cry of delight once her eyes were back on Dirk.

"Crivvens! Ah canny believe who it is. Fucking yaldy to see ye Dirk. Am a pure nick at the moment, seein' someone familiar is a blessin' on me eyes. Some minging fuckers chased me arse here and snapped at me ankle." She cried out, sliding up beside Dirk with a cooing purr at seeing the druddigon. Her voice was soft and absolutely exhausted sounding, sounding absolutely relieved to see him again despite her true feelings on the other dragon.

With Dirk gone from the hotel, Zuri sighed as he lowered himself down to the ground so he could rest. His eyes lidded half-closed as he watched Eirlys from where he decided to lay down, still keeping his eye on the excitable puppy. He hadn't had the chance to rest in days, he's been too focused on keeping himself and Eirlys moving. It wasn't safe here either; but with this godawful weather, they had no choice but to stay here. The old police dog heaved out a soft sigh, ears perked to listen as the pup excitedly chattered with Yahto.

At least they had someone else here that would be a distraction for Eir to not pester Zuri as much, so he had small blessings at least.

Zuri's eyes slowly drifted over to the door that Dirk had left from, his thoughts starting to gather and fester in his mind now that he had the chance to reflect. He said he was a knight... but that means nothing. He had no formal training that I could tell, and certainly didn't have any nature of anything I'd see as knightly. So then... who is he really? A fool like that is a danger to Eirlys, I won't let him anywhere near her until I can properly be sure of how he'll act when push comes to shove. His eyes then drifted over to Yahto, scanning over the body of the leafeon closely.

He's thin, not well muscled and from how he reacted when things got tense... not a fighter either. He's got some wit about him though, he understands when to shut up, expecially during that confrontation with Dirk. There was a pause in his thoughts as he looked over at Eirlys, gaze softening. He's good with kids, too. He'll be good to have around with Eir. Someone who could deal with Eirlys's turbulent mood swings and excitable personality was always a bonus, especially with how willing they were to immediately jump into answering her numerous pestering questions.

That meant that Yahto at least, passed the first initial test Zuri had for newcomers around himself and his charge, whereas Dirk had failed rather quickly.

Eirlys was blissfully unaware of her brother's hawk-eyed staring almost burning holes into Yahto and her, focused entirely on getting more stories from the pretty leafeon. Her tail wagged a mile a minute and she stared up at him with her wide, red eyes that almost sparkled in anticipation of a good story. “Well no,” briefly her ears drooped at the thought of no stories from Yahto, though that was quickly swept away as he jumped right into a story for the houndrunt.

“But there was this one time someone stole an elderly woman’s purse in the city. My human and I chased after the mugger and I used an attack to knock him over. Bailey sat on his back until police like Zuri arrived at the scene. Between you and me, I think he could’ve knocked Bailey off his back but he was afraid of little old me!” Her jaw dropped open and her eyes went wide, ears perked up high and body wiggling as she excitedly listened to the story. She made an awe-inspired 'o' with her mouth, before giggling happily at the story she was told.

"Wow! You really helped someone just like big brother used to! He's told me so many cool stories where he had to chase after people through mud, and forests and all sorts of things like that! How'd you manage to scare him into staying still? You aren't as scary as Zuri is when he's serious, I'll bet!" She yipped, before briefly placing a paw over her mouth, before looking bashful. "I-I mean, I don't mean to say you can't be scary, but I've seen big brother when he's serious, he's the scariest thing ever."

She giggle softly and tilted her head, ears flopping to the side as she did so, listening to Yahto finish his story. “To think someone could assume I would be so brutish to use Magical Leaf on his face!… which was my next idea, to be fair.” Nodding sagely, Eirlys cocked her head a little at the words, humming softly.

"What's a magical leaf? It sounds pretty! I've never heard of it before, just what Zuri's shown me. He has a cool fire move that makes his teeth all hot and flamey! It's super pretty!" She said, before looking over her shoulder at Zuri, tail wagging, "right Zuri? You showed it to me once before when I was learning to use my fire!" She asked him, getting a soft snort from the direyena. "Yes, I do have a move like that. I don't think Yahto can use anything like that though, leafeon like him don't mix well with fire." He explained, which got a gasp from Eirlys, looking back over at Yahto with wide eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know! I promise you I won't hurt you with my fire! I'm very good at using it, big brother taught me how back before we left our home!" She promised, nodding vigorously with an approving hum, proud of herself for keeping her new friend's weakness to fire locked in her mind.

"What's a magical leaf? It sounds pretty! I've never heard of it before, just what Zuri's shown me. He has a cool fire move that makes his teeth all hot and flamey! It's super pretty!"

Yahto chuckled at the kiddo’s enthusiasm, moving his attention over to Zuri at the mention of the canine. His eyes bore at the Leafeon sternly, to which Yahto responded with a calm smile. He knew Zuri was judging his interactions with Eirlys— Yahto had seen so many living, breathing creatures twisted beyond redemption both before and after the epidemic, and he was well aware the ‘face’ they showed was not always necessarily their true nature. He took no offense to the canine’s actions, finding them entirely valid during such dark days.

Eirlys switched her excited focus to her guardian. "right Zuri? You showed it to me once before when I was learning to use my fire!"
"Yes, I do have a move like that. I don't think Yahto can use anything like that though, leafeon like him don't mix well with fire." Zuri elaborated to the duo as he lay close by.
Yahto nodded bashfully, smirking a bit awkwardly as though they could also see the memories in his minds eye of the times he had been unfortunate enough to come into contact with fire. It wasn’t terribly common for him to be burned but it wasn’t so rare that he couldn’t remember the intense pain and the withering of his leaves for days following the event.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know! I promise you I won't hurt you with my fire! I'm very good at using it, big brother taught me how back before we left our home!" Eirlys vowed earnestly to the Leafeon with an intense nod.
“Wow, that’s really cool!” Yahto commented playfully. “I bet your fire is super-duper strong!”

Yahto stood up and paced a few steps back from the child, raising his paw up with a slow and steady motion. He knew Zuri would be watching and the last thing he was aiming to do was alarm the Direyena. “Watch this,” he said as he swept his paw from right to left in a fluid motion. Leaves materialized as he moved his leg, hanging briefly in the air before wafting down like blue-and-purple confetti. “Pretty cool, right? That’s Magical Leaf!” He sat straight up, raising his paws above him and then lowering them to their respective sides with a windshield wiper motion, making more leaves rain down on him. He furthered his theatrics as a single leaf landed on his snoot and he gave an exaggerated sneeze, pretending the said sneeze was so intense it knocked him flat on his back with a poof of leaves fanning out around him. He held his legs out above him comically for a moment before swiftly rolling back onto his stomach to survey whether or not his shenanigans were well received by Eirlys.

With the first part of his practice regimen complete, he was about to move onto the next part until a familiar voice called out to him. "Crivvens! Ah canny believe who it is. Fucking yaldy to see ye Dirk. Am a pure nick at the moment, seein' someone familiar is a blessin' on me eyes. Some minging fuckers chased me arse here and snapped at me ankle." That voice, he knew it too well. It was Peregrine and she was here. He needed to watch his back around her. Opening his eyes, Dirk turned and seen her. She was still hiding behind that mask and it was like she was trying to coo up to him. "Explain yourself then Peregrine?" Keeping his eyes on her, he had his tail in the position that would mean he's ready in case she decides to make a sudden attack.

The Druddigon couldn't help but be very weary of the Noivern for the reason that he knows she's dangerous. Especially when she said something in the past about it. Still, it's too early to judge her but it will be her actions that will decide whether she's innocent or guilty. Until then, all suspicions will be there.

Peregrine knew she had to be careful with how she worded things around Dirk. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, however he'd already met her once before, that meant that she'd have to make sure that her excuses for her prior actions last time they met were foolproof. She purred out a low greeting as she wound herself around Dirk as though she was greeting an old friend, leaning herself against his side and keeping her gold eyes up on the other dragon, though her face was still covered by her usual iron mask.

The way his tail was curled was not lost on the Noivern, and she hummed lowly, raising herself from down underneath the druddigon's chin to rub against his chest much like a cat would to someone they liked. The more she could lower his guard, the better. She still heavily favored her injured leg, limping her way to sit carefully in front of Dirk, holding her injured leg off the muddied ground as she cocked her head a little to the side, eyes squinting behind her mask. How am I going to spin this? I have to make sure it's believable to him.

"Explain yourself then Peregrine?" She hummed softly, tail swaying slowly across the muddied ground as she watched the other dragon. He was still suspicious, she could see in the way he eyed her up as she moved. But... what could she say to get some of his wariness to back off a little? There had to be something, right? She already had the excuse of being injured at least, but... He'll want a reason for my previous actions last time we met. I never thought I'd see this fool again... but without Noiz's annoying face here, swindling him will be much easier.

Ah, Noiz-- the perfect scapegoat for Peregrine to use. She could blame her prior actions on him! And without the shiny here to say anything to defend himself, she was home free. "Aye, yer a sight fer sore eyes Dirk. If it weren' for this boggin weather, I doubt I'd be stuck here. Too cold ta fly, and staying in this wet is gonnae make me boke." She said, lifting her injured leg a little higher to show it off to Dirk, proving more to the fact that she'd apparently been 'chased' here. The more she could back up her story, the better after all.

"Dinnae expect tae see someone familiar, but hell if I'm complainin'. I ken, last time I saw ye it wasn' the best of greetin's, and I would never mean tae be tellin' havers. But with Noiz about, tha hackit bastard has it out fer me somethin' chronic." She started, lifting a wing to place it against her chest, dipping her head a little in apology. She had to seem genuine after all. "I had tae act somethin' fierce, else he'd skint me alive. Wee lass like meself gotta look out fer outselves, ya ken? Dinnae mean tae make ye think I'd be oot tae be an absolute weapon. These days a lass has gonnae do anythin' tae keep herself from bein' chow."

Hopefully her excuses were believable... if not she'd have to try harder to get her lies across. She had to make Dirk think that her previous actions were all because if she hadn't, Noiz would've killed her. To be fair, the fucker would have killed me if I gave him an inch. She thought, though she kept her poker face, watching Dirk closely from underneath her mask.

The smile that Yahto offered him was meant to be calming, Zuri knew, however his wariness and mistrust of strangers only got a narrowed gaze in response to the pleasant smile, snorting out a low huff of air that was a tad warmer than it needed to be. Eirlys had already mentioned his fire attack, and Zuri was not afraid to give the leafeon a very personal feeling of those flaming teeth digging into his body if he did anything that threatened his charge's safety. Currently, it seemed like they were safe, but people could change like the snap of a person's fingers, Zuri was painfully aware of that from his work on the force.

He watched Yahto as the grass type looked up at him, recognising the look in in his eyes when fire was mentioned; he'd been burned before. Good. That means he'll be less likely to act out and do something stupid. He thought, tail thumping against the ground with a low hum from the direyena. He wasn't interested in moving just yet, far too comfortable and the vibe in the hotel now that Dirk was gone was decidedly pleasant to relax in. The albino lowered his head to rest it against his paws, red and black eyes lidding slightly in content relaxation. At least Yahto seemed to know how to work with kids, that was a boon for Zuri.

Eirlys watched her brother briefly as he relaxed, giving the larger canine an excited smile, her tail wagging happily. If he was relaxing, that meant it was safe! That was great news for her, it meant she could also be relaxed, and that usually meant play time!

“Wow, that’s really cool!” Yahto's praise got an excited grin from Eirlys, and she eagerly shifted from one foot to the other on top of the ball she was using as her platform to stand on. “I bet your fire is super-duper strong!” Her ears perked high, the still-floppy ends of them flapping about from the motion. She shook her head with a cheery giggle, one paw raised to cover her muzzle.

"Oh, no, no! I'm still learning to make them strong. Big brother's fire is so much stonger than mine is." She said, hopping off the ball to pace backwards a little, planting her rear on the ground with a giggle, hind legs splayed out either side of her. "Zuri says the most important thing about fire is to make sure you can control it properly before making it strong. Having strong fire is useless if you can't control it." She said, reciting the lessons Zuri had taught her over and over like she was the top student in a class.

She paused as Yahto stepped back a little bit, moving to get up to follow him briefly, but a short, gruff chuff from Zuri made her freeze, glancing over at him. The larger albino had risen to his feet again at the sight of Yahto's paw raising. There was a slight crackling sound from the direyena as his mouth opened briefly, the sparks of a fire fang building in his jaws. Still, he didn't follow through with the attack, slowly and carefully sitting back down once he was sure that Yahto wasn't about to put Eirlys in danger.

“Watch this,” Eirlys looked back over from Zuri in time to see all the pretty leaves appear in the air around him, flittering down to the ground like the worlds most extravagent confetti. Her mouth dropped over and she let out a long breath of awe, eyes wide in wonder. She understood that those pretty leaves could hurt a lot if they were commanded to, but they looked so pretty! Surely Zuri wouldn't mind if he just went up to look, right? She glanced over at him, asking silently for permission

“Pretty cool, right? That’s Magical Leaf!” Zuri glanced over at Yahto as the leafeon summoned more of the enchanted leaves around him, eyes lidding slightly at his over exaggerated sneeze and fall over. He nodded to Eirlys once he was sure that it was safe, and she yipped happily, bouncing over to Yahto to look at all the pretty leaves everwhere, and to bat at a few of them.

"Wow! That was so cool, Yahto! I never knew that there were pretty moves like that! I've only ever seen Zuri's moves, and sometimes the moves of mean pokemon that try to attack us, but they aren't pretty like that!" She praised, before pausing a moment with a giggle. "Well, the attacking pokemon's moves anyway. All of Zuri's moves that he uses are super pretty! Aren't they big bro?" She said, before gasping and rushing over to him, pawing at Zuri's chest.

"You should show Yahto that super pretty dark shadowy one!" She said, bouncing excitedly from one foot to another. Zuri blinked down at her, then looked over at Yahto after a moment, clearly tossing the idea up. Eirlys pouted a little, pawing at him again. "Come ooonnnn Zuri! Yahto showed off his super pretty move, now it's your turn!" She reasoned, nodding her head. It was only fair after all! Maybe after this she could also show off one of her pretty moves too!

Zuri made an exhasperated huff, but carefully stood up, trotting away from the two of them enough so that his attack wouldn't be a danger to either of them. Eirlys yipped happily and scurried over to Yahto to watch, planting herself into a sit right beside the leafeon. "Watch, watch! Big bro's cool shadowy attack always looks so cool when he uses it!" She said, eyes wide with excitement. Zuri looked over at her with a good natured eye roll, before he sat down, closing his eyes.

Since he was only showing it off, he had no plans to actually put effort into the move, deciding to focus on making it flashy instead of actually useful. From where he sat, the shadows seemed to converge in on Zuri almost like they were living, taking on a deep purple color as they formed a mist that started to swirl and pulse around the albino's body. The dark pulse grew a little in size, spinning around Zuri like rings on a planet as they swirled and grew a little in size. Then, after a few seconds, it exploded outwards with various crescent shaped projectiles that fizzled out harmlessly before they even got close to Yahto and Eirlys.

Eirlys waited until he was done before excitedly running up to Zuri, bouncing around him with excited wiggling of her body. "See, see! Wasn't that cool? Big brother's moves always look so pretty! I usually cant watch him when he's being serious because he says its dangerous, but I love watching him practice whenever we're moving from place to place."